Second Chance – Chapter 21 – Co-authored by Remi Savant & Rckyfrk

"Here they are, sir," the guard said as he motioned for Rick and the other three to enter the office. Rick crossed the threshold, making room for Hershel, Daryl and Morgan to stand beside him. They waited in silence for the man behind the desk to acknowledge their presence.

He was dressed in military fatigues, his graying hair in a crew cut. Rick couldn't see much of his face, as he was furiously writing something on a legal pad. On either side of him stood two soldiers, both armed with semi-automatic rifles, standing at attention. Rick glanced over his shoulder and saw that the guard who had ushered them in had taken up the same stance. He looked around the room; it was Spartan in appearance, the only furniture was the desk, the chair in which the man sat, and a small table near the window with a map of what looked to be the town spread on top of it. An American flag stood on its post in the corner of the room.

"Let's make this quick," he finally started speaking, still not looking up. "Protocol states that newcomers to the town forfeit all weapons, especially upon entering a government building." The man's pen never stopped moving, leading Rick to believe this was a practiced speech that he'd already given several times already.

Rick cleared his throat and responded, "Well our policy is to keep ourselves protected, especially upon entering a new establishment."

The man's posture altered slightly; Rick could feel his demeanor change, and could sense the menacing grin spreading across his face without seeing it. Finally the man looked up from the desk, fixing them all with a hard stare with his icy blue eyes. "I don't think you realize who you're talking to," he said threateningly, standing abruptly, his hands clenched in fists, pressing his knuckles on the desk. "I am Major Gene Gavin, and if it weren't for me this...establishment...would no longer exist. It is because of the protocols I have instituted that we're even standing here talking. So I don't give a god damn what your policies are. If you want to be part of this community, you will follow the rules."

"Look," Rick tried to appease the man, Gavin, "We're just looking for a place to stay." Rick noticed Morgan and Daryl shift uncomfortably, catching onto his white lie. "We take care of our own; we're just looking for a place to stay with walls around us."

The evil grin returned to Gavin's face. "Those walls come with a price."

Rick braced himself for whatever possibility this clearly dangerous man was ready to offer. "What kind price?"

"Half your ammo, half your supplies."

"That's some bullshit!" Daryl interjected, but Hershel put a bracing arm against his chest, holding him back, and shaking his head discretely.

"That's awfully steep," Rick added, "too steep for us, just for staying here."

Gavin straightened himself before sitting back down, folding his hands in front of him. "That's protocol. Although, perhaps we could work out some kind of arrangement."

Rick frowned, "Arrangement? What kind of arrangement?"

Gavin's smile widened; it reminded Rick of a shark going in for the kill. "Sargent Smith here tells me you came in with a large group...with plenty of women."

The four men instantly bristled at what the man was insinuating; Hershel stepped forward, apparently having heard more than enough. One of the guards flanking Gavin stepped up to meet him, pointing his rifle directly at Hershel's chest.

Instantly, every weapon in the room was drawn by its owner. Rick's Colt Python was aimed right at Gavin's head.

"At ease, gentlemen," Gavin spoke in an even tone, fixing his eyes on Rick. "Are you sure you want to go down this road, son? From here, the only outcome is that we both lose people, and what would your women do without you?"

Rick glanced to his right and his left, catching Morgan and Daryl's eyes. With a slight shake of his head, they all lowered their weapons.

A sinister smile crept across Gavin's face. "I like your fighting spirit, but you can see reason, too. I tell you what; we have a town hall meeting in two days. I'll give you until then to make your contribution."

"What if we just up and leave?"

Rick turned to look at the source of the question and found Morgan glaring at Gavin, waiting for his answer. Rick gave him an approving nod and turned back to the Major.

Gavin sat back in his armchair and steepled his fingers. "Well, we can't exactly let you do that. You're obviously heavily armed and now you know where we are, more importantly where our headquarters are."

"Ya can't just keep us here," Daryl argued, his arms tensing as he prepared to aim his crossbow again.

"See, that's where you're wrong," Gavin laughed. "You came to us. You're here on our terms and our terms only. I'm giving you two days to make your contribution, or we take what we deserve anyway. It's your choice." He gave the four of them one last look then returned his attention to the notepad on his desk. "That'll be all, gentlemen," he dismissed them, clicking his pen, and continued scribbling.

With that the guard behind them, Sergeant Smith opened the office door and escorted them out, down the hallway and out of the building.

"So what's the plan?" Daryl asked as the four men made their way back to the vehicles and the rest of the group. Morgan and Hershel turned to look at Rick.

"I don't know," Rick replied in a low voice, "but we've got two days to figure it out."

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They were assigned a small apartment building to share; Smith had referred to them as barracks, located near the center of the town. Rick guessed it was all part of Gavin's plan to keep any eye on them, showing just how much they were trusted. It was decided that they wouldn't be hauling all of their belongings into their new living quarters just yet, and would only bring in what they absolutely needed to get them through the night.

Sargent Smith approached Rick as he was helping Lori pack up a bag of their stuff to take inside. "You need to transfer your vehicles over to the lot on Sycamore Street," he informed them. "There's no driving or parking on the main streets of town."

Rick sighed testily and nodded, leaving Lori to inform the other drivers that once everything had been brought inside, the cars needed to be moved.

"Such horseshit," Daryl muttered as he yanked open the door to the pickup truck. "Damn military state. Waitin' for them to tell us about curfew or some shit like that."

Rick nodded and looked down at his boots. He peered up again to look at the redneck, "Yeah, I know. It's fine for now, but something's gotta give. We'll come up with a plan. We've got to."

"Well, until we do, I ain't leavin' all our shit for them to pick through while we're sittin' thinkin' and twiddlin' our thumbs. I'll see if Dale's got a padlock or somethin' for the trailer and I'll stay in the RV all night, keep an eye on things."

"I appreciate that, Daryl," Rick clapped him on the shoulder. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

Daryl shrugged and backed up a step, as if he were shying away from the compliment. "Worked too hard to get it all in the first place. Don't want some asshole takin' it just cause they think they can. Typical government pricks," he added in a low mumble.

Rick chuckled. "I'll let Dale know. Thanks." It was Daryl's turn to nod as he climbed up into the cab of the pickup truck; he sat there fuming as the rest of the group carried their things inside.

That night, Rick and the rest of the group discussed their options, trying to decide on what would be best and safest for them all. He filled everyone in on all that had happened upon meeting with Major Gavin. Most of the group agreed that they should just hand over what Gavin had asked for, opting for permanence and safety over being able to call their own shots. "With a group this size, we'll likely get most of it back anyway," Dale pointed out. "No sense in fighting over it. If giving the community a share of our stores ensures our safety, how can we say no to that?"

"Okay, we give him what he wants, but how long will that last? What happens two weeks from now?" Lori spoke up, her hand absently rubbing the slight bump of her belly.

"I agree with Lori. It's always going to be something," Maggie added. "I'm all for staying, but there's a vibe here that just rubs me the wrong way. We're safe from walkers, but are we safe from the men running this place?"

T-Dog cleared his throat, "Ya know, I don't even mind contributing what we have to the community. It's the fact that they demanded it. Makes me wanna tell them just what they can do with their half." A twitter of laughter ran through the group. "Seriously, though, it's like Maggie said, there's a bad vibe here. Not sure I trust these people."

"There could be good people here, too." Rick, and the rest of the group, turned to face Beth, who had been sitting quietly in her corner of the apartment where they had all been talking. She looked flustered at being the center of attention all of a sudden. She squared her shoulders and continued. "I just...I can't believe everyone here is all that bad. The men running the town, sure, but everyone else? Everyone?"

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Otis mumbled from beside her. "These guys are in charge and are taking advantage because they can. There's no reason to demand so much. If they were decent, they'd ask us if we'd share if they ever needed something." He slowly brought his eyes up off the floor. Rick couldn't remember the last time he'd heard the man speak since the death of his wife. "Maybe we aren't the only people in this town who feel taken advantage of by this Gavin guy."

Glenn interjected, "So, what, we start a revolution? Even if they let us keep our guns, and that's a big if, these are all military soldiers, with training."

The group mumbled in dissent. "The thing is," Rick said, his eyes meeting everyone around him as he spoke, "we need this place. We need a place where we can stay and feel secure. We can't stay on the road, not with the kids." He paused as he looked at Lori, her hand still on her growing belly. He felt the attention of the room follow his gaze; he figured they knew what he was getting at. He needed Lori, Carl, and his unborn child, to be safe. "Maybe once we've been here for a while, solidified our presence here a little, we can approach the topic again with Gavin." He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Let's take the night to think on it. We've still got another day to decide what to do and how to go about doing it."

With that, the group disbanded, going to their own apartments, all furnished by whatever previous tenants had lived there; no one commented on where the previous tenants might be now. Rick, Lori and Carl naturally took an apartment together. Lori offered to let Sophia join them, but she had taken a liking to Maggie and Glenn and asked if she could stay with them instead. As they made their way to an empty apartment, Rick heard Hershel mutter to Glenn, "I assume you'll be on the couch?" Glenn flushed and ducked his head, mumbling a "Yes sir," as he walked down the hall to join the other two. Morgan and Duane found a one bedroom place and took up in there.

The rest of the group was a little more awkward to divvy up the accommodations. Michonne, being brand new to the group, was standoffish at best. She had proven herself trustworthy to everyone when she had saved the children from being attacked at the house just the other day, but hadn't had the chance to really warm up to anyone. Beth stepped up, recognizing Michonne's reluctance to share an apartment with a strange man. She picked up her bag and smiled brightly at Michonne, who barely returned the gesture with a slight twitch of a grin. Hershel immediately took up in the apartment next to Beth's, Otis following him in.

"Guess that leaves us as roomies," Dale shrugged and chuckled to T-Dog. They took the last remaining two bedroom apartment, leaving the last single room for Daryl when he returned from the RV.

While the town was still quiet the next morning, Rick sneaked down the street to check on Daryl. He was about to knock on the side door to the RV when it opened suddenly. Daryl responded to his surprised look, "Saw ya comin' 'cross the street."

Once his heart stopped pounding quite so hard, Rick asked, "You were up all night?"

"Kinda the point of keepin' watch," Daryl answered sarcastically.

Rick smirked at him. "Anything happen?" he continued as he climbed up into the RV. Daryl closed the door behind him. They sat at the small table behind the driver's seat.

"Couple'a guys came out snoopin' round the trailer and the luggage compartment of the RV. They messed with the padlock, tried to get in, but took off when they realized they weren't goin' to."

"Did they try real hard? They didn't have crowbars or bolt cutters, did they?" Rick asked.

"Nah," Daryl replied. "Like they just wanted to see if we took precaution or something."

"Huh," Rick frowned, his eyebrows knitting together in concentration. "Maybe they were just snooping to see what they'd be getting."

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. Maybe. Still don't trust 'em, though."

"The rest of the group had a long talk last night." Rick filled Daryl in on all the points everyone had made the previous evening; all the while, it seemed as though Daryl was struggling to stay awake. "Tell you what. You make your way to the apartments. We saved one for you; just ask someone and they'll show you which one. I'll stay here today." Daryl nodded as he stood up and shouldered his crossbow. "Do me a favor, though: tell Lori I'm in here so she doesn't worry."

"Aight," Daryl agreed. "I'll take over for this evening again."

"Sounds like a plan," Rick got up to move to a better vantage point. "See ya tonight."

The hours ticked by; Rick debated cracking open a window as the Georgian sun beat down on the RV. Even if it was getting to be late autumn, the interior of the RV was like a sauna. Still, opening windows would only broadcast that someone was inside, and that was something he didn't want advertised. He stuck it out, sweating through his shirt, and longed for evening to fall, if anything just so he could escape the heat. Throughout the day, no one else approached any of the vehicles in the lot. He hoped the men had simply realized that they weren't dealing with country bumpkins, that his group had come prepared for almost anything. Lori had stopped by with some lunch, commenting on how he would need to get cleaned up as soon as he came back to the apartment. "You smell like the walking dead out here," she joked. Rick retaliated by moving to give her a bear hug, but she squeaked by him and left the way she'd come. He watched as his wife crossed the parking lot and disappeared behind the corner of a building.

Night finally settled and Daryl showed up to relieve Rick from watch. He had nothing to report, so he just wished Daryl luck and bid him goodnight. He walked back to the apartment, glad to see that Lori was still awake and had some leftovers from dinner waiting for him. As he ate Lori told him about what went on in the group during the day. Apparently, she, along with Beth, Glenn and Maggie had taken it upon themselves to venture out and meet their new neighbors. According to his wife, most of the other citizens of Woodbury were friendly enough, and none of them had any love for Gavin. They had all spoken of his outrageous demands and his tyrannical laws, but all of them would rather put up with it than face the horrors that awaited them outside the city walls. Once Rick had eaten his meal, he changed out of his sweat-soaked shirt and promptly fell asleep in bed.

The next morning, the group made preparations for the town meeting. The group agreed they didn't have many options but to make the contribution to Woodbury to ensure their place in the community. They all figured it wasn't practical to haul their shares to the meeting, but hoped that their willingness to do so would count as an adequate gesture of good faith.

As lunchtime grew closer, Maggie was frantically going door to door in the apartment building. "Has anyone seen Beth? I can't find her anywhere." A rush of panic flew through the group; Gavin had said if they didn't contribute, he would find another means of payment. Had he decided to collect early?

Just as Maggie had knocked on the last door in the hallway, Beth appeared at the entryway with Daryl behind her.

"Young lady, where have you been?" Hershel demanded.

Beth shied back and hung her head. "No one had gone to get Daryl this morning. I figured he'd want some food, maybe get some sleep before the big meeting." The rest of the group looked guiltily at one another, realizing they had forgotten to relieve him from the night watch. They muttered apologies to him, blaming the building tension from the upcoming meeting for their lapse in consideration. Daryl, for his part, didn't seem to take any offense and just made his way to his apartment. Beth stopped him when he passed her door; she ran inside and returned with a can of peaches. He muttered a thank you and threw his door open and shut it behind him. Glenn was assigned "Daryl duty," making sure to wake him up in time for the meeting.

The time had finally come for the group to head to the town hall. Including them, the town's population was between forty and fifty people, all of whom had gathered for the weekly meeting. Gavin started off calling the meeting to order, and covered topics regarding day to day activities: walker sightings, food rations. He finally got to the subject of newcomers and called all of them forward.

"It seems we have quite a few new members in our town. As with all of us, we expect them all to make a fair contribution to our community. Are you prepared to do so at this time?" Gavin questioned the group at large.

Before anyone could respond, Gavin's walkie talkie squawked. "Sir, we've got a bunch of biters piling up at the North Gate. Request immediate backup." Gavin nodded to the guardsmen standing on either side of him and the ones standing at the exit to go and assist as needed.

Once they had left and Gavin had called order to the meeting, a low voice spoke up from the edge of the group, close to the podium where Gavin was speaking. "Sir, I'm sorry. I'd be willing to make a contribution if I had anything, but me and my daughter, we came here with the clothes on our backs. We don't have anything to give, but please, let us stay."

Rick's ears perked up at the baritone voice. He'd know that drawl anywhere. He peeked around the members of his own group and saw none other than Phillip Blake standing there with his hands on his daughter's shoulders in front of him, a pleading look in his eyes. He looked so different from how Rick had remembered him, and not just his lack of an eye patch. He was scared, terrified even, and was begging for sanctuary. There was no authority in his voice, no hardness; Rick found it hard to believe that this man could ever become the Governor after seeing him in such a state.

Gavin came around the podium to stand face to face with Phillip, then made a sudden grab for the girl standing between them. Phillip yelled out as Gavin pulled her away from him, and Rick instantly knew this was Penny, alive and well.

"You need to figure out some kind of payment, or else," Gavin threatened as he reached for his sidearm.

Without thought, Rick drew his gun and fired a bullet directly into Gavin's skull. His lifeless body wavered upright for a few seconds before collapsing into a heap.

The girl ran into her father's arms; Phillip fell to his knees holding her close, softly sobbing and whispering calming words to his daughter.

No one but Rick saw the exchange, however; all eyes were focused on Rick and his gun, still aimed at now-empty space. He slowly lowered and holstered his pistol.

No one uttered a word until Rick stepped forward to address the large group. "My name's Rick Grimes. Members of my family here met with several of you yesterday, and learned a lot about this community. I know that a lot of you agree that Major Gavin was not a fair leader and took advantage of his power here. He was not a man to be trusted, and neither were his soldiers. Together we can make this a safe, peaceful environment for us all to live in, but we need everyone's help. Who's with us?"

After a moment of contemplation, every person had raised a hand in silent agreement.